


the stars come out to smile

by vonseal



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: ASTROnomy lol i love their group name, Astronomy, M/M, Romance, Teen Romance, Teenagers, slight angst, slight appearance by minhyuk towards the end, teen romance sounds so stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:08:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10045316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal
Summary: Jinwoo's mom had frequently told him not to stare at the sun as a child. He always listened, but he decided she wouldn't know if he broke the rule today.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moonbinsonesie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbinsonesie/gifts).



> this brilliant idea of jinwoo and myungjun at the ASTROnomy camp (hahaha im original) was obviously not made by me, i suck at coming up with my own plots, so give a big round of applause to [moonbinsonesie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbinsonesie/pseuds/moonbinsonesie) for this! and pls support her stories, i loved the instagram one she has omg.

Jinwoo had wanted to attend an astronomy camp for as long as he could remember. Ever since his mother showed him the stars one evening, explained the constellations and told him just how far away all those twinkling lights were, Jinwoo had been incredibly interested in anything dealing with space. He studied as often as he could, when he wasn't preoccupied with homework or drum lessons, and could easily describe various planets with great detail. His parents were proud of this endeavor, and had supplied him with books and maps and anything else they could get their hands on in order to strengthen his intelligence in the matter.

They were unable to send him to astronomy camp as a child, despite how much he begged. His father didn't have a job at the time, and his mother made just enough to keep them afloat as his father looked desperately for a means to provide for his family.

It wasn't until Jinwoo was in high school, just finishing up a birthday celebration, that his parents finally announced that he _could_ , in fact, go to an astronomy camp.

“I thought they were for kids, though,” Jinwoo had responded, looking slightly confused at the brochure he was handed.

“Not this one,” his mother replied with a bright, kind smile. “This one is for your age group. It's more advanced, and you stay there a full week with other boys who are learning about astronomy. Doesn't it sound like fun?”

And it _did_ sound like fun. Jinwoo hadn't yet grown out of his space obsession. He kept it more of a secret from his other friends, but he still hung posters on his wall of places he wanted to visit; places like Mars, maybe Jupiter, and definitely Pluto.

(Because despite what anyone said, Pluto was important to the solar system, and it was Jinwoo's dream to live long enough to see Pluto become a planet once again in the eyes of scholars and scientists.)

His parents were almost as excited for the astronomy camp as Jinwoo himself was. When he did some sleuthing on the website and learned of the cost, he couldn't help but feel a _little_ guilty – but his father brushed that off with a quick, “When you become a famous astronaut, you can repay us, but please just enjoy yourself there for now.”

Jinwoo was happy for the support, and so he packed his bag with a grin and a slight skip in his step. At the astronomy camp, he wouldn't have to hide his love of space. He would meet friends who shared similar likes and dislikes, friends with whom he could sit out at night and watch the sun set and the stars come up.

He didn't get much sleep the night before, and he was jittery when his parents drove him to the observatory where they would all be staying.

He was told the usual by his doting mother – _stay with the group, eat your lunch, make sure to get plenty of sleep, and call me every evening_. It was difficult to pay much attention when all he wanted was to get started on his new adventure, so she gave him a quick hug and left him with the group director. A few other boys were already lingering, having been dropped off by their own parents, and Jinwoo smiled at them.

They seemed like an awkward group, save for one kid who actually grinned right back. Jinwoo was almost thrown off guard by the absolute _joy_ the boy was oozing out.

“So, space is cool, isn't it?” the boy asked. His voice was light and melodic, reminding Jinwoo of a sound similar to church bells and a chorus of singers and sweet honey. It was _beautiful_ , just like _he_ was, and Jinwoo stared for longer than necessary. The boy noticed and cleared his throat. “Or...not. Space is _not_ cool?”

“What? Oh.” Jinwoo gave a slight, nervous laugh and quickly looked away. He couldn't be a creep on his first day! “No, no, space _is_ cool. I mean, that's...why I'm here.”

The boy was still grinning. “Isn't it? I think that's why most of us are here.”

“You like space, then?”

The boy laughed. Jinwoo wanted to hit himself for his terrible conversation skills, but before he could explain why he was so nervous (he had a bullshit reason all made up, too), the boy replied, “I'm actually not really sure. I mean, it was an interest of mine as a child, but I think I've grown out of it. Maybe this week will get me into it again.”

Jinwoo was given a total of three seconds to soak up the words before the boy held out his hand. “I'm Kim Myungjun!”

“Ah,” was the intelligent answer Jinwoo gave as he took Myungjun's hand to shake it for a greeting. Myungjun was looking at him expectantly, head tilted slightly, brown eyes wide and curious under dark lashes. He reminded Jinwoo of a puppy.

Jinwoo loved puppies.

“What's your name, then?” Myungjun asked.

“Jinwoo!” Of _course_ he should have introduced himself the moment Myungjun had. He was such an idiot, but he would like to blame it on the fact that he was blinded by actual sunlight.

Because Kim Myungjun seemed like actual sunlight.

“If we get to choose bunkmates, I hope I get you,” Myungjun suddenly announced, and he released Jinwoo's hand. “Space cadets like us need to stick together, don't we?” Before Jinwoo could come up with a reply, Myungjun was talking again. “I like your hair! Do you bleach it, or were you born like that?”

Jinwoo blinked, then moved his fingers to run through his silver locks. “I wasn't born – I mean, I bleached-”

But Myungjun was giggling. The answer was obvious, Jinwoo realized now that he had time to think, and he felt his ears turn slightly red with embarrassment. “It looks like starlight,” Myungjun observed. “I think you came prepared for this week.”

If he was starlight, then Myungjun was most certainly sunshine.

They didn't get much more of a chance to speak to each other before the group director was talking, laying down the ground rules and the purpose of the small camp. He called off the attendance roll then, too, to ensure the camp members were all present.

“Lee Myungjun?”

The name was called and Jinwoo glanced over at Myungjun in confusion. He said nothing, but Myungjun's smile was tighter now, his eyes sparkling less and his stance tense.

“Lee Myungjun?” Once more, the director called out the name, and finally Myungjun spoke.

“I, um, think there's a mistake,” he responded, raising a hand. “It's _Kim_.”

“It says Lee on all of your documents.”

“Then I'd _like_ to be called _Kim_.”

The director was quiet for a second before pointing at the sheet he was reading off from. “Is it legally _Lee_ Myungjun?”

Myungjun's tongue darted out quickly to wet his lips. “Legally, but I'm changing it-”

“Then _Lee_ Myungjun is present.” The director made a check next to Myungjun's name, and Myungjun froze.

Then he smiled again and shrugged his shoulders. “Alright, then,” he responded, stepping back in his spot next to Jinwoo.

The other campers seemed rather indifferent to Myungjun's slight argument with the director, but Jinwoo found himself glancing over at his new friend rather curiously. He didn't hear much of what else was being said, but he _did_ hear that he and Myungjun were to be paired up in a room together.

As they went to drop off their belongings and settle in, Jinwoo pondered whether or not he should bring anything up. It obviously seemed like a touchy subject for Myungjun, but why on earth would he be changing his family name?

“You're not a quiet kid, are you?” Myungjun suddenly asked, breaking through the silence with his rich voice. “Because I'm going to let you know in advance, I'm a little talkative.”

“Huh? Oh, no, sorry.” Jinwoo rubbed the back of his head. “Just...thinking, I guess.”

Myungjun nodded with understanding. “Was it me? The name thing?”

Jinwoo couldn't lie, so he slowly nodded. Myungjun let out a breathy laugh. “Ah, yeah, I suppose I looked like a weirdo. Um...” He smacked his lips together and took a seat on the bottom bunk, the one Jinwoo had claimed upon arrival. “Adoption. We're still in the process of changing my name, but...I guess I can't really complain. It's not official yet.”

He must have been recently adopted, then, and Jinwoo longed to ask for the reason _why_ , but that was too personal, too sensitive, to gather from a boy he had literally just met. Instead, Jinwoo smiled cheerfully at Myungjun, trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

“If it makes you feel any better, I'll call you _Kim_ Myungjun, regardless of what your last name currently is.”

Myungjun blinked, in shock for only a second before returning Jinwoo's smile. Once again, he was the sun, blinding and brightening and difficult to look away from. “I'd prefer it if you just called me Myungjun, if we're going to be honest. Since we'll be roommates for a whole week, there's no need to be so formal, is there?”

There probably wasn't, but Jinwoo _had_ wanted to show his support in one form or another. He supposed Myungjun understood, however, based on the knowing look in his gaze, and the older boy stood from his spot on the bed. “We have to be down at the lobby in fifteen minutes so they can go over all of the _rules_.” He rolled his eyes at the word as if it had somehow personally offended him in the past, and then gestured at their bags. “Do you need to unpack anything else?”

“I'm just going to do what I always do during family trips and live right out of my suitcase,” Jinwoo responded, and this earned him a giggle.

“Then do you think it's fine that I do the same thing? I'm not used to this sort of thing, but unpacking and repacking seems like such a chore.”

He didn't understand what Myungjun meant by _not used to this sort of thing_. “Family trips?” he asked without taking time to think through his words.

“What?”

“Family trips,” Jinwoo repeated. “You're not used to family trips?”

Myungjun looked slightly nervous, and he laughed again to cover up what appeared to be a mistake. “Maybe? I don't know, it's...” His cheeks puffed out and he released some breath he had been holding. “Should we go now? I don't want to be late and miss everything they'll be telling us.”

Jinwoo could tell how uncomfortable Myungjun was, and so he smiled, trying to push his curiosity aside for the sake of his new friend. A lot of people Jinwoo knew had never gone on an actual family vacation, usually too busy to do anything more than a quick day-trip. Myungjun was probably the same, especially if he had been adopted just recently.

Jinwoo wondered if he had perhaps been living in an orphanage up until that point. He refused to ask, however; if Myungjun wanted to tell, then he would tell. For now, Jinwoo could just work on becoming the best friend Myungjun could have for the rest of the week.

“Oh, yeah! I forgot how excited I was to experience all of this!”

Myungjun looked relieved that Jinwoo was following along with the change of subject, and they exited the room together. Myungjun began to ramble about various nonsense, from the different possible colors of stars (“Hot pink? Does that sound accurate, Space Cadet?”) to whether or not aliens actually existed (“And, if they _do_ exist, how do you know _I'm_ not one of them?”). By the time they had completed their short trek to the lobby they were supposed to meet in, Jinwoo had laughed at least twelve times that he could count, and when Myungjun finally fell silent in order to listen to the rules, Jinwoo couldn't help but stare at him.

Starlight needed sunshine to exist. Jinwoo had found his sunshine.

✶✶✶

For their nights spent at the camp, they were supposed to watch the stars come out. They would take turns looking through telescopes and mapping out constellations and discussing how stars are formed. It was all very interesting, but Jinwoo suddenly realized that none of it seemed to be as interesting to him anymore as Kim Myungjun was.

Myungjun's eyes sparkled with the sunset, the beautiful rays of pink and gold practically illuminating his face as they sat on a hill, secluded slightly from the rest of the group with a telescope to share among the two of them. Myungjun was unusually quiet for the first night, simply choosing to watch instead of comment on anything that was occurring in the vast sky above him.

“Sunsets are my favorite time of the day,” Jinwoo mentioned in an effort to break the stillness that had fallen between them. “When the sky changes color like this, and then the stars just appear out of nowhere.”

“Well, they've always been there. You just can't see them when the sun is out.”

Jinwoo shrugged his shoulders. “But doesn't it seem more magical to think that they just pop out of nowhere? Like, they have to wait for the sun to go down, and then they wake up to shine?”

“For someone who's into science and space, you're talking like an artist,” Myungjun responded, a grin stretching his lips out to reveal his perfectly white teeth.

“Maybe I can be both.” Jinwoo stuck his tongue out in mock defiance, and he laughed when Myungjun shoved at him lightly. “Alright, alright, fine, I'll stick to being a scientist. And the stars have always been out and there's absolutely no magic in the way the sky paints itself into a portrait, no magic at all in the way the stars shine so brightly from so far away.”

“Nope. All science.” Myungjun snorted and returned to staring up at the sunset, waiting for the stars to finally make their appearance. “When I was younger,” he murmured, “really young, I used to watch the stars. I was that stupid kid that thought the stars woke up from their sleep when the sun went down.”

“If you're calling yourself stupid, then you're calling me stupid, too, and probably every other child in the entire world.”

“Nah, you're not stupid. You probably knew everything about the stars by the time I started to notice them.” Myungjun giggled and played with the telescope. “I always liked to think the stars came out to smile for me. Back then, I couldn't smile for myself, so it was nice to think that someone else was doing that job.”

Jinwoo was silent, staring at Myungjun's side profile. His eyelashes were long and his lips were plump and his black hair was frizzy from the summer humidity.

He was beautiful, and when he caught Jinwoo staring, he just smiled widely once more. “And maybe I've learned how to smile for myself, but I'd still like to think that the stars are smiling for me, anyway. Maybe they're finally proud of me.”

If Myungjun was referencing something, Jinwoo had no idea what it was. It was beautifully descriptive, in any case, and it tugged at Jinwoo's heart without him having any knowledge as to why the stars would _finally_ be proud of Myungjun. He was someone they should have been proud of a long time ago.

“Maybe the stars have always been smiling at you because they've always been proud.”

Myungjun was quiet for a few seconds, contemplating Jinwoo's statement, before giving a loud burst of laughter. He seemed shocked by it himself, and he quickly covered his mouth with his hand before he could laugh anymore.

“You think the stars can be proud of someone?”

“If it's you, then yes.”

Myungjun's gaze softened. He stared at Jinwoo before swallowing thickly and looking down at the grass, brown and dry from lack of any recent rain. He kicked at it lightly, sneakers causing some of the grass to break with just the smallest of movement. “I'm glad the stars were proud of me. It might be the first time anyone – any _thing_ – has been proud of me.”

“Now, or...?”

“Now? No, now I have people who are proud of me, and _I'm_ proud of me.” Myungjun pointed at his face. “I mean, I saw you admiring how I looked and-”

“I wasn't _admiring_ ,” Jinwoo lied.

“You were totally admiring. It's alright, I understand! That's one of the reasons I'm proud of myself. I mean, I've seen mirrors, and I've seen how _gorgeous_ I look.”

Jinwoo was blushing, but he still managed to scoff and cross his arms over his chest. “You're not very humble at all, are you?”

“Oh, I'm super humble. I'm just also very realistic.” Myungjun giggled and glanced back at the sunset. The sky was very quickly turning dark, the rays of pink and gold now succumbing to the night colors of dark navy and gray. “No, now I have people proud of me and my accomplishments.”

“And back then you didn't?”

“Back then I was a stupid kid. Here, look-” Myungjun closed one eye and leaned down to stare through the telescope. “You have to make sure you don't turn it to where the sun is, because if you look directly at the sun, you can become blind, Jinwoo. My teacher always told me not to look at the sun. Did your mom ever tell you that?”

Jinwoo stared at Myungjun.

“Yeah.”

His mom had frequently told him not to stare at the sun as a child. He always listened, but he decided she wouldn't know if he broke the rule today.

✶✶✶

They had stayed out until late, and when they were told they would also have to wake up early, many of the boys groaned. It was their vacation, after all – why would they have to wake up early during their vacation hours?

But Jinwoo wasn't concerned. He was excited to know what activity they would be able to work on tomorrow. Myungjun, despite claiming he didn't care too much about space anymore, also seemed excited. He dressed quickly and climbed up on his top bunk, and the moment Jinwoo laid down, Myungjun dipped his head down to smile.

“Did you have fun looking at the stars today?”

“I did. I always do, though.”

He had more fun today than he had before, but he wouldn't let Myungjun know that just yet.

“Did you see how much they smiled for you? They were so bright tonight! I think the stars like you, Jinwoo.”

As Myungjun hung his head down to stare at Jinwoo, the younger boy couldn't help but admire his friend for one last time that evening. Even in the dark, somehow, Myungjun was still illuminated by the moonlight that had crept in from the window. His black hair was getting in his face, and he kept having to brush it away, and that smile was back, his cheeks squishing his eyes upwards into crescent shapes in order to accommodate for how wide Myungjun's grin was.

“I think they're brighter tonight because we're farther away from the city.”

Myungjun huffed and suck his tongue out. “ _Now_ you become a scientist. _Now_ , suddenly, the stars aren't magical anymore.”

Jinwoo giggled. “What do you want me to say, then, Myungjun?”

“I want you to say, 'yes, Jinwoo, I know how much they smile for me because I'm perfect!'”

“But I'm not.”

There was another huff. “I think I'm older than you, Jinwoo, so I think I know better than you concerning what perfect is. And are you really going to disrespect me by calling me wrong? _Wow_ , Jinwoo, I thought you were so much better than this!”

Jinwoo was laughing again. He had to cover his mouth in order not to bring any attention to their room, and when he was certain he could speak without giving away the fact they were still awake, he removed his hand and smiled up at Myungjun.

“I guess the stars were smiling, but I think they were smiling more in your direction.”

“The stars don't discriminate.” Myungjun wagged a finger. “So you were part of their affection as well.”

Myungjun was funny. Myungjun was sweet and funny and absolutely breathtaking, even in his pajamas and his hair in disarray as he continued to hang his head upside down.

Jinwoo wondered if the stars had just as big of a crush on Myungjun as he did right now.

“Well, _most_ of it then was at you,” Jinwoo responded.

Nothing could rival Myungjun's grin, and the boy suddenly shot back up again, out of sight from Jinwoo's position. The shuffling noise up top told him that Myungjun was settling down once more, and when it was quiet again, he heard Myungjun speak.

“And for the first time in my life, I think I like someone else's smile more than I like the stars.”

Jinwoo didn't respond, but his breath had been taken away, rendering him completely mute for the rest of the night.

✶✶✶

They attended a lecture the next day. Jinwoo paid close attention to the presentation, occasionally writing down important notes in his journal. Myungjun sat beside him, peeking at Jinwoo's notes and copying the exact same information. He seemed more content with his drawing, which was nearly complete finally (Jinwoo had been glancing over as often as possible without breaking his attention to the lecture).

“It's a telescope?” Jinwoo whispered. It was well-drawn, too. The lines were impeccably straight and there was a lot of detail that even Jinwoo didn't remember from using the telescope last night.

“Shh.” Myungjun looked around secretively, but no one was paying them any attention. “Yeah. A telescope. The one we used last night.”

Jinwoo stared down at it for a few seconds. “It's nice,” he murmured. “Like, seriously, you're an amazing artist.”

“Aren't I, though?” Myungjun smirked proudly, then signed his name right below the telescope. “I would draw the two of us standing here, but I really don't have time to finish it.” He blinked, then looked over at Jinwoo. “Can you draw?”

“Me? No.”

“Then draw us.” Myungjun passed his notebook over and took away Jinwoo's. “And I'll take notes for you.”

“I said I _can't_ draw,” Jinwoo hissed. “I'm not going to ruin-”

“Park Jinwoo? Lee Myungjun? Is there a problem?” The lecturer asked.

Jinwoo didn't miss the grimace that Myungjun gave before responding, “No, sir! Just comparing notes!” That seemed to satisfy the lecturer, so Myungjun turned back to Jinwoo and whispered, “Finish drawing us and I'll give this back to you.”

It seemed as if Jinwoo had no choice. He wanted his notebook back, and desperately, so he rushed the drawing. It was a little better than stick figures, but not by much, and by the time the lecture had ended, Jinwoo had just finished making sure his own figure had earrings. He hardly was able to add even those on before Myungjun snatched it up.

“Let's see how well you did!” the elder boy joyfully announced, and he gazed at the drawing for a mere second before clicking his tongue. “Terrible. Which one's me and which one's you?”

“I told you I couldn't draw,” Jinwoo mumbled, and he pointed at his figure. “That's me. The other one is you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I'm sure. I drew it. Besides-” Jinwoo pointed at the earrings on his own ears. “I drew on these.”

“Are you sure I don't have earrings?”

Jinwoo blinked, then gestured for Myungjun to bend his head. “Let me see.”

“No!” Myungjun was giggling again, and his eyes returned to the picture. “Hold on, though, how come you're taller than me? I could have _sworn_ we were the same height.”

Jinwoo was about to deny _that_ , but Myungjun quickly asked, “How tall are you? And, seriously, don't lie or I'm actually going to have someone measure us.”

Jinwoo sighed. “175 centime-”

He didn't even get the chance to finish before Myungjun clapped his hands together. “I'm 176!” he exclaimed loudly, and he snatched the pencil away from Jinwoo. “So _I'm_ the taller one here!” Above the figure Jinwoo had drawn of himself, Myungjun wrote “ _Kim Myungjun_ ,” and above the one Jinwoo had drawn of Myungjun, the boy wrote, “ _Park Jinwoo_.”

“There!” Myungjun set the pencil down and looked rather satisfied. “Now it's accurate.”

“But you don't have earrings!” Jinwoo responded. “And I left my hair uncolored to symbolize _blond_. You've got black hair, so I colored yours in-”

“Well, then, I guess I'll have to go get some earrings and blond hair dye,” Myungjun responded, and he dramatically threw a hand over his face. “I have to look just as you drew me!”

“I drew myself and you just put your name over it.”

“Shh! Don't worry the small details, Jinwoo. I think it's very accurate.” Myungjun closed his notebook, taking Jinwoo's sights away from the weird drawing. “We make the best drawing team, don't you think? We should drop out of this astronomy camp and go become artists instead. Wouldn't you like to be an artist, Jinwoo?”

“I don't think I'd make much money.” Jinwoo stood from his seat, holding onto his own notebook. “You saw how I drew.”

“Nonsense, I've also seen what people pay for _art_ these days. Trust me, just make up a symbolic meaning behind your drawings and people will buy them left and right.” Myungjun stood to be next to Jinwoo, and they walked out of the room together, slowly so as to keep up the conversation.

“People will buy _your_ artwork,” Jinwoo responded. “Seriously, Myungjun, that telescope you drew was really amazing! Have you always been this good with art?”

Myungjun smiled sheepishly. “You flatter me. But, _yes_ , I'm what you might call an art prodigy.”

“So are you going to art school?”

That seemed to make Myungjun hesitate for some reason, and the boy finally shrugged. “Don't know. Probably not. That was just a small sketch I did. I honestly haven't drawn much in years. Not since I was a child, at least.”

Jinwoo found Myungjun's life to be rather interesting. A lot of things Myungjun had mentioned seemed to stem back to his childhood days. “Why not?”

“My...parents wanted me to be, like, a doctor or a scientist or something. You know, no career related to actual _art_. So I worked my hardest in order to please them.” Myungjun had lost part of his smile. “I was never really great with any of those science-type of subjects, though. I don't think they were very proud of me.”

Jinwoo had the drawing etched in his mind. He didn't understand how anyone could look at Myungjun's artwork, at how much creativity he had to offer, and feel anything _other_ than proud, especially if he was actually their son.

“They should've been proud of you,” Jinwoo mumbled.

Myungjun looked touched from Jinwoo's words, and he averted his gaze. “Ah.” He gave a small chuckle and rubbed at the back of his neck. “How come you're so nice, Jinwoo? I had hoped I'd meet a friend here, but I didn't expect to meet the most perfect human being in existence.”

“I'm not-”

“What did I say about disrespecting me, though?”

Jinwoo's lips tightened before he let out a loud sigh. “Fine. Whatever you say, Myungjun.”

“Exactly.”

When Jinwoo peeked back over, Myungjun's smile was back, and he was looking up towards a window that was displaying a perfectly blue sky.

“I think the stars are sleeping pretty nicely today, since it's clear outside,” he suddenly mentioned. “And I hope they smile just as brightly at both of us tomorrow as they did last night. I like how proud they are of me.”

“They'll always be proud of you.”

“I like how proud _you_ are of me.”

His gaze fell back on Jinwoo, and there was a light fluttering in Jinwoo's heart, something akin to the stories of love and romance and adoration, something he had never felt before when staring at another person.

“I think I'll always be proud of you.”

He was falling in love with Kim Myungjun.

✶✶✶

They had gone on a field trip to the planetarium nearby. Myungjun and Jinwoo stuck together once more, giggling lightly to themselves at various jokes they would tell. Somehow, Jinwoo realized he wasn't paying as close attention to everything as he thought he was going to; his eyes and ears and thoughts were constantly directed toward Myungjun now, Myungjun and his bright personality and wide smile and the snorts he gave when he laughed.

He didn't mind it. The emotions were new and a little frightening, but it couldn't be all that bad to have fallen in love with Myungjun, not when Myungjun made him feel as if he could soar.

When night fell, the boys were back up at the hill to study the stars again. Jinwoo had his notes ready as Myungjun messed with the telescope, waiting for the sun to set once more.

“Are you going to be an astronaut?” the older boy suddenly questioned.

Jinwoo looked up from his scribbling. “I'm not sure. I'd like to study _something_ concerning space, but I don't know necessarily if I'd like to actually go out there myself.”

“Why not?”

Because it was too far away from Myungjun. But he couldn't say that. “Too much possibility of getting stuck, or dying, or-”

“You won't have fun if you live in fear like that.”

Jinwoo laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “I can find something else I'd rather do. There's tons of careers that involve studying space. Maybe I'll be the next person to discover a new planet, or something.”

“And you can name it after me!” Myungjun finished adjusting the telescope and moved to sit on the ground right next to Jinwoo. “The planet of _Myungjun_. That sounds cool, doesn't it?”

“Only if it's a pretty planet.”

He didn't realize he had actually muttered those words until he glanced over at Myungjun, who was staring at him with wide eyes and a soft smile. Jinwoo felt a blush rise to his cheeks, and he struggled to fix whatever awkward air he might have brought about with his words. “Uh,” he started, “I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry, I didn't-”

“Please don't say you didn't mean it. I'd really like it if...if you truly thought a planet should only be named after me because I'm pretty.”

“I never said you were pretty.”

“Jinwoo, am I pretty?”

When Jinwoo glanced back again, Myungjun's hands were framing his face and his lips were pouting slightly, eyelashes fluttering as he stared right back at Jinwoo.

Jinwoo couldn't help but snort, and Myungjun's antics had managed to dispel a large majority of the tension that he had been feeling from blurting out his thoughts. “In a girly sort of way, sure, you're _very_ pretty, Myungjun.”

Myungjun's hands dropped as he giggled. “Couldn't ask for anything other than that! So the first pretty planet you discover, name it after me, okay?”

“Of course.”

They sat in silence then, and when Jinwoo was certain Myungjun's eyes were focused on the setting sun, he looked his friend over. He watched Myungjun's face, the golds and yellows of the sun's last streaks of color falling across Myungjun's cheeks, sparkling in his eyes, illuminating him just as he deserved to be illuminated.

But then Jinwoo's gaze traveled down to Myungjun's clothes, where the sticker nametags they had been issued earlier that day for their field trip still remained.

“I have a question, and if you're offended, please don't answer it.”

“I won't be offended.” Myungjun looked over at him.

Jinwoo pointed at the nametag. “I know your real name will be _Kim_ Myungjun, but...why do you hate _Lee_ Myungjun so much? You don't have to tell me, I was just...curious. Is it because of your parents?” He assumed that would be the only reason. Myungjun hadn't spoken as if they had cared for him much in the first place, and so why else would he choose to change his name to that of his adopted family?

Myungjun nodded his head. “Ah, yeah. They were...interesting.” He cleared his throat and glanced over at the other boys, far enough away that they certainly weren't paying attention. “My mom was drunk all of the time. She didn't have a job, and she was too much of an alcoholic to go get one, so she stayed home. My dad didn't like that very much, I guess, and a lot of his anger was...directed towards me for that. Something about how I ruined their lives.” Myungjun was grinning still. “I don't know, some bullshit like that. And maybe I did ruin their lives. I'm not sure. I was a stupid kid.”

“I wish you wouldn't call yourself a stupid kid. I don't think any of it was your fault.”

“I did whatever it was my dad wanted me to do _because_ I was a stupid kid,” Myungjun responded. “Most of it was wrong. Most of it probably ruined my own life. I did it anyway because I thought...I had this _stupid_ thought in my head that if I followed along to whatever he wanted me to do, he'd end up caring for me one day.”

Jinwoo didn't tear his eyes away from Myungjun's face. The usual bright happiness Myungjun had always carried with him was dim.

“He never did care for me. I mean...not in the way he should have.” Myungjun swallowed thickly and shrugged his shoulders. “And I grew up a little bit and _realized_ I had been a stupid child, so I packed a small bag of my clothes, and when my mom was puking her guts out in the toilet and my dad was out working, I left. I don't think my parents ever ended up looking for me.”

Jinwoo had no idea what to say, and he reached his hand out to lightly pat at Myungjun's shoulder. “I'm sorry,” he murmured.

Myungjun let out a breathy laugh. It didn't sound as if he found anything at all amusing, however. He was laughing for the sake of just laughing. “It's all in the past! I ended up at an orphanage and I got adopted finally about a month ago, and I've already felt more loved and adored in this past month than I have in my entire life. And my new parents are _amazing_. I have always found space interesting, and so they decided to put me in this camp to see if it's something I might want to focus my own career on.”

“Is it?”

“To be honest? No.” Myungjun grinned and nudged his shoulder into Jinwoo's. “The more I learn, the more bored I get. I think you're the only one of the two of us who's cut out to go travel in space and discover new planets.”

Jinwoo shoved Myungjun back. “I told you, I'm not going into space. I'm just going to find pretty planets and name them after you. That's going to be my job.”

Myungjun shot Jinwoo a thumbs up. “I approve of that job.”

“And what about you, then? What will you do if not something involving science?”

“My new parents said that they support my artwork,” Myungjun responded proudly. “They told me they can send me to a nice art school, if that's what I wanted to do, and the more I think about it, the more I'd like to do that. Wouldn't it be cool, Jinwoo, to see one of my paintings in an art gallery somewhere? Wouldn't it be cool to excitedly point at it and tell everyone, 'Hey, I know that guy! He's Myungjun, and I named the most beautiful planet after him, because he's such a gorgeous man!'”

Jinwoo laughed loudly at that. “God, you're seriously the most _humble_ person I've ever met in my life.”

“Like I said before, I'm just realistic.”

The two boys giggled lightly still, smiling at each other as the sun completely disappeared over the horizon. And maybe it was time to get up and actually start mapping out the stars and writing down notes about their observations, as all of the other students were doing, but Jinwoo couldn't pull his eyes away from Myungjun. Even in the dark, he was still shining. The stars were appearing and smiling down at the two of them, and Jinwoo found himself leaning in. Myungjun's eyes followed him.

“Myungjun?”

“Hm?”

“Have you ever kissed a guy before?”

“No.”

“Would you kiss me?”

“I'd prefer it if _you_ kissed me, actually.”

Jinwoo bit his lip and leaned in closer. Their foreheads were touching, noses bumping into each other, and Jinwoo didn't know if he could make that final push forward. “Myungjun? Please? I can't.”

Myungjun didn't move for a few seconds, and Jinwoo was about to pull away – but then his lips lightly pressed up against Jinwoo's lips. Myungjun had soft lips, soft and plump and gentle, and Jinwoo decided that he wouldn't want his first kiss to be anywhere else other than with Myungjun, Myungjun and the smiling stars above.

✶✶✶

“What are you drawing?” Jinwoo asked for the third time that afternoon.

A thunderstorm had caused them to be confined to their dorms until the rain and lightning let up. Myungjun had seemed satisfied enough with that, instantly pulling out his sketchbook and stealing one of Jinwoo's pencils, but the younger boy hadn't brought anything to keep himself from being bored. He had been under the assumption that they would be doing things regardless of how rainy it was, but the afternoon activity had apparently been something they were supposed to do outdoors. Regardless, now Jinwoo had taken to bugging Myungjun any chance he got, which was actually a difficult feat when Myungjun was really focused on something.

“Same thing I was drawing when you asked five minutes ago.”

“Which was...?”

Myungjun gave a loud sigh. He was leaning up against Jinwoo, and he bumped his head into Jinwoo's shoulder where it rested. “Ducks. I'm drawing ducks.”

“I still don't understand why you're drawing ducks.”

“One of them is me!” Myungjun held up his drawing and pointed at a skillfully sketched duck. It looked good enough to hang on the wall at some fancy museum, Jinwoo noted. “See? That's me as a duck.”

“I don't get it.”

“I'll draw you as a duck, too. Got to give him earrings and some silver hair.” Myungjun took his paper back and began carefully drawing once more. His tongue stuck slightly out of his mouth as he drew, concentrating on making certain his lines were perfect.

He didn't need to concentrate so hard. Jinwoo was positive that it would be perfect no matter how much effort Myungjun put into it.

“It'll be our wedding,” Myungjun suddenly announced proudly. “A duck wedding! I'll draw your duck family and my new duck family and everyone will be cheering.” Myungjun tapped the pencil up against his chin. “Jinwoo, what do ducks give each other for wedding gifts?”

Jinwoo screwed up his nose in thought. “Toasters?”

“That's a stupid gift for ducks to give. Where are they going to put it?” Myungjun scoffed and continued to draw. “How about _duck_ tape?”

“I can't believe you.”

“Oh, come on! That's the only thing I can think of ducks giving one another, since it's something with their name on it.”

“What are ducks going to do with duct tape?”

Myungjun was quiet before muttering, “Alright, you got a point there.” He poked his pencil into Jinwoo's side. “Bread. They'll give each other bread as wedding presents, because that's the only thing I know for certain that ducks actually eat.”

He didn't turn back to his paper until he saw Jinwoo smile and, seemingly satisfied, he began to sketch out a table full of bread. “And our wedding cake is going to be piles of bread with some candles on top of it. We're also inviting the neighborhood geese. I hope you don't mind.”

“They're friendly, and I think they'll give us a lot of wedding gifts.”

“I knew you were a trooper.”

“I don't remember you asking me to marry you, though.”

“Your memory sucks, then. We've been fiances for quite some time.”

“How did you propose?”

Myungjun giggled. “It was when we were waddling away from some human children, and I quacked, _wouldn't it be nice if we were married_?”

Jinwoo gave a mock gasp of realization. “Oh, yeah! I totally remember now! I had quacked back, _you hang around me all the time anyway, so I might as well get tax benefits out of it_.”

At Jinwoo's words, Myungjun was laughing again. His pencil made an accidental line through one of the duck wedding guests, and he had to go back in and erase it. “And that's exactly how we decided to get married. I'm glad you remember it now, Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo hummed as a response, quickly and quietly, then moved his head to continue watching Myungjun draw. The duck wedding photo was coming along nicely. Myungjun was definitely going to become a famous artist one of these days, and Jinwoo fully expected to see his artwork adorning the famous museum galleries throughout the world.

As he discovered planets and stars, he hoped Myungjun would draw all of them.

“Will we get married someday?” Jinwoo asked suddenly. “Not as ducks, but as people?”

Myungjun smacked his lips together. “We've known each other for three days.”

Jinwoo felt embarrassed for asking such a thing, but then Myungjun continued. “And in three days, I've become certain that, yes, I would like to marry you. Not as a duck, but as a person.”

“Thank god you don't want to get married as a duck.”

“Oh, I still do, but that's what the picture is for. To live out my dreams of marrying you as a duck.”

Jinwoo sighed, but even Myungjun's stupid statements couldn't drive away the smile from his face. Marrying Myungjun honestly seemed like the only future he wanted to actually have at this point. He really couldn't imagine walking down the aisle with anyone else by his side. Regardless of gender, he really, truly felt as if he was in love with Kim Myungjun.

“I want a real wedding cake, not one made out of bread,” he mumbled.

“Obviously. The bread one is for Jin-duck and Myung-duck, _not_ for Jinwoo and Myungjun.” Myungjun laughed, melodic and beautiful, and poked Jinwoo's face with his pencil eraser. “ _We're_ going to have a cake with chocolate frosting.”

“Chocolate frosting for a wedding cake?”

“I like chocolate frosting,” Myungjun defended his choice. “So if you say yes, I'm going to have my new parents make us a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.”

“Whatever you want.”

It didn't matter what cake they would eat, and it didn't matter that this wasn't ever going to take place. For right now, as Myungjun leaned up against Jinwoo's shoulder, black hair mussed and tangled and eyes concentrating solely on his duck-wedding-picture, Jinwoo was fine with the cake choice and the wedding venue (according to Myungjun, it would be “on the planet you discover, because where else would we get married?”).

Jinwoo was fine with _Myungjun._

✶✶✶

It was already Thursday, and Jinwoo was finally starting to feel the panic knowing that Friday would bring about the end of the week. Friday was the last day that he and Myungjun would be with each other at every moment of every day. Friday would be when their parents would come by to pick them up, and the future was incredibly uncertain.

Myungjun, too, seemed to understand this. He was a lot more clingy when he woke up that Thursday morning, kissing Jinwoo's face almost the moment he had risen for bed. And Jinwoo, while worried about Friday, figured that they could still see each other again later on.

“It's not going to be goodbye _forever_ ,” Jinwoo murmured as Myungjun planted kiss after kiss over his face, desperately, seeking any sort of attention Jinwoo would give him. Jinwoo's lips almost felt abused by the time Myungjun pulled back.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

Myungjun swallowed and glanced down at his lap. “I want to be an artist. I told you that. I like artwork, and...I never thought I'd actually be able to _study_ art as a career choice. My old parents – they thought art was stupid. They told me if I was to be worth anything, I'd go be a scientist or a doctor. My dad tore up a picture I made for him in school once. And my new parents _want_ me to go follow my dream. You want me to follow my dream, too, right?”

“Of course I do.” Jinwoo had no idea where Myungjun was going with this. “You're amazing! I'm already prepared to see exhibitions with your name plastered everywhere, underneath all of the most gorgeous paintings in the world.”

Myungjun didn't smile. “I'm going to America to study.”

It was an ill-timed announcement, when Jinwoo still felt high from Myungjun's kisses, when his lips were still tingling and his cheeks were still red. He had to take a few seconds to blink, to understand exactly what it was that Myungjun was saying.

“A-America?”

“And I didn't expect to fall in love with you. I just...did. But I want to go draw, and you really seem to love my artwork, and I love drawing. I forgot how much I love drawing, Jinwoo, but I like you, but I'm just a stupid kid. I want to go draw.”

“Oh.”

Jinwoo thought back to their wedding the other night, to the ducks that Myungjun had sketched out, to the giddiness in his voice as he discussed the venue and the cake and the presents he wanted to receive. He thought back to Myungjun finally settling down for the night and _still_ talking about their life together, about the type of house they would buy and the ten children they would adopt from the orphanage.

“We can still keep up a relationship! Long-distance relationships probably aren't _that_ difficult. We can message each other and send letters. They have stationary online you can buy with stars and planets.” Myungjun had seemed desperate for kisses just minutes ago; now he seemed desperate for Jinwoo's acceptance to his dream to study abroad. “It's such a good school, though, and my new parents want to help me get there.”

Jinwoo had known Myungjun for four days. Jinwoo had been in love with him for two days. Jinwoo knew that Myungjun wasn't his to have, to keep forever. He truly wanted Myungjun to go out and achieve all those dreams that he had originally kept locked up inside of him.

“I'll be able to see your paintings on the walls of museums when you come back?” Jinwoo questioned. Myungjun looked up, slight relief written on his face. “And I'll be able to marry you on the planet I've discovered?”

“The one you name Myungjun?”

“Yes. That one.”

Myungjun sighed loudly. His head dipped forward and he leaned into Jinwoo's chest, holding onto both of Jinwoo's hands with his own. His slender fingers wrapped around Jinwoo's. “It's not even going to be that long that we'll be apart,” he whispered. “I'm going to make it all work out.”

Jinwoo didn't think so. Jinwoo kept that thought to himself throughout the rest of the day, but Jinwoo had never heard of a long-distance relationship between two teenage boys who had known each other for a total of four days. And even if one _did_ exist, Jinwoo was certain that it didn't last. There was no way to make it last, either.

He didn't know if Myungjun understood this or not. Myungjun cheered up slightly after their morning together, going about the day's activities with his beaming grin, tugging at Jinwoo's hand when he saw something of interest and telling the lamest jokes he could muster up.

That evening, all of the students had taken turns looking through the large telescope in the observatory. It was cool, and Jinwoo felt he would have enjoyed it much more if he wasn't spending so much of his time thinking about Myungjun.

Tomorrow would more likely than not be the last chance he would ever have to _see_ Myungjun. He would have plenty of opportunities later to observe the sky, but for now, all he wanted to do was stare at the boy in front of him, the boy who laughed loudly and beautifully, the boy who harnessed all of the energy of the sun itself.

Nighttime came too quickly. They retreated to their dorms, and as time stretched on, Myungjun had fallen silent. Neither of them said a word finally as they changed into pajamas, and when Jinwoo laid down to sleep for the night, he couldn't help but notice that the silence had turned into soft sniffles from the top bunk.

He said nothing, however. He didn't know if he could say anything himself.

“Jinwoo?”

Myungjun's voice was breaking. Jinwoo's heart was breaking.

“Yeah?”

Myungjun peered down to stare at him. The moonlight shone only on him once again, lighting up half his face, shining brightly on the tear streaks.

“Jinwoo, can we sleep together?”

Jinwoo hesitated for a few seconds before moving his head in order to stare up better at Myungjun. “Sleep, as in _go to sleep_ , or...?”

Myungjun didn't respond to _that_ question. “It's our last night, and I just...”

The blond nodded his head and moved to make room. Myungjun seemed to brighten slightly, climbing down from the bed and crawling in next to Jinwoo. A small kiss landed on Jinwoo's cheek. Another one pecked at his nose.

Jinwoo kissed back. Myungjun's cheeks were gaining new tears, the salty taste lingering on Jinwoo's lips, but he didn't care. He held onto Myungjun lightly, knowing that tomorrow he would have to let go.

“I think...I think the stars are hiding,” Myungjun whispered in between kisses. “I don't think they're smiling tonight.”

And when Jinwoo glanced out the window, he realized it was probably true.

The stars weren't coming out to smile tonight.

✶✶✶

The next day was filled with closing remarks and various speakers. Jinwoo sat next to Myungjun the whole time, squeezing his hand occasionally, passing over quick smiles when no one was looking. Jinwoo had never before wanted an actual astronomer to drone on as long as possible as he did right then. The longer he sat here, however, the longer he would get to stare at Kim Myungjun and his beautiful smile.

He wanted to tell his mother that he stared at the sun and hadn't yet become blind.

Their parents came to pick them up mid-afternoon. Myungjun hadn't said much as they waited, as other boys were picked up, as Jinwoo struggled with the concept of never seeing Myungjun ever again.

“I almost forgot,” Myungjun suddenly mumbled under his breath. He unzipped his bag and scrounged around for a few seconds before pulling out his notebook and passing over his drawing of the duck wedding. Jinwoo stared at it, then shook his head.

“I can't take this, you worked so hard on it-”

“It took me one night to complete. That's not working hard on it.” Myungjun then pointed down at his signature, located toward the bottom of the page. “Besides, look! When I become a famous artist, you can probably sell this and make _loads_ of money.”

But Jinwoo wasn't going to sell it. If Myungjun was giving it to him, Jinwoo was going to keep it forever, a reminder of the boy he wanted to marry after four days of meeting him.

“Do you remember when,” he started, and he had to swallow the tears that threatened to rise up. “Do you remember when we went on our duck honeymoon together?”

Myungjun's gaze softened. “I haven't drawn that yet. That'll be my next masterpiece.” He closed his bag up again. “Is that when we went to...?”

Realizing Myungjun was waiting for him to come up with their honeymoon location, Jinwoo nodded his head. “Yeah. The duck amusement park.”

“I expected better from you. You have to _wow_ me, Park Jinwoo.”

“The duck...islands?”

Myungjun's eyebrows furrowed together before he shrugged his shoulders. “I can do that. I can go to the duck islands with Jinwoo. Is that where we _kissed_ for the first time?”

“We would have kissed at our wedding. Or...or before that, even.”

“No wonder you're going to be a space scientist! You're so smart!” Myungjun laughed and seemed ready to discuss their duck honeymoon even more, but when a van pulled up, his smile seemed to falter. “That's my mom. My _real_ – sorry, my _new_ mom.” He waved towards her and she returned the gesture, smiling brightly and proudly and reminding Jinwoo of the stars.

He hoped Myungjun noticed how much he was loved and how his future would be filled with even more love.

“I can't kiss you, on account of my mom watching me,” Myungjun said, and he looked regretful. “Duck kiss, then?”

“What's a duck kiss?”

“Well, since ducks don't have lips, they probably just push their beaks like this-” And Myungjun made a duck face, then reached out and squished Jinwoo's cheeks. “And they do _this_ with their wings to their partner.”

“I don't think that's how ducks work.”

“Ducks don't get married, either, but here we are.” Myungjun released Jinwoo's face with a small sigh, and if Jinwoo caught the quiver of his lips, he didn't say it. “You have my address?”

“Yeah.”

“And my phone number?”

“I do.”

Myungjun's lips tightened. “Jinwoo? Is it too early to say I love you?”

Jinwoo felt his heart skip a beat, and he shook his head. “Only if...only if I can say it back.”

“You can say it back.”

“I love you, then, Kim Myungjun.”

Myungjun gave a shaky smile, and he didn't say anything else. He left then, not once turning back, and when he climbed in the front seat of his van and buckled up, Jinwoo watched as he started talking to his mother, hands animated as he went over everything that had happened over the past week.

Everything minus the time he shared with Jinwoo.

And when Jinwoo's mother came, Jinwoo did the same. Myungjun didn't exist to his mother. The kisses and night spent together meant nothing anymore, and Jinwoo kept it to himself and to the drawing that he stored away in his notebook.

They sent letters for three weeks. Myungjun moved to America and they lost contact.

Jinwoo folded the drawing carefully and stuffed it away in his dresser drawer.

✶✶✶

“Minhyuk, if you walk away from the group one more time, you will be holding my hand for the rest of the field trip, _and_ I'm going to tell your mother.”

Jinwoo never knew he would be a chaperone for a school trip later. Honestly, he blamed his wife for signing him up, and he also blamed his son for being absolutely impossible to control. He suddenly felt bad for all the school trips he had sent Minhyuk on, wondering just how much trouble the other parents had when they were forced to deal with such a wild kid.

Minhyuk came back to him with a small sigh, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout. “I didn't even want to come to the stupid art museum.”

“It's required.”

“How come Sanha didn't have to go?”

“Because he's not even in the same class as you.” Jinwoo gave Minhyuk's back a small pat. “Now can we _please_ catch up to the rest of the group? You've missed practically everything the tour guide has said so far. And-”

“Dad, what's in there?” Minhyuk was pointing to a different section, somewhere smaller and less lit up. Jinwoo rolled his eyes and moved to respond, but one of the paintings caught his attention.

It was a telescope.

Jinwoo glanced over at the rest of the group nearby. They had stopped at one of the paintings as the tour guide discussed it, toning down the important words so the young children could understand. In any case, it seemed the painting they were talking about was taking a lot of time to explain, if the amount of hands in the air by the students was anything to go by, so Jinwoo decided he probably had a few minutes to look closer at the telescope painting.

“Let's sneak out from the rest of the group and take a quick peek, alright?” Jinwoo whispered. “Don't tell your mother.”

Minhyuk grinned widely, practically jumping up and down to see his father breaking rules. “You're so cool, Dad!”

“I'm not, and you'd better listen to everything your teacher says after this, alright?” He held onto Minhyuk's hand as they walked the few feet over to the telescope painting. Jinwoo stared at it carefully, studying the lines and the colors. The telescope was pointed up at a night sky, and the painter somehow managed to capture the twinkling of stars _perfectly_ in the artwork.

A volunteer nearby noticed Jinwoo staring, and he hurried over to offer her assistance. “Isn't this one pretty?” she announced, causing Jinwoo to jump slightly. “It was done by a local artist! He had studied in America, but he came back here to paint pictures. He's going to let us hang up more of his artwork, too, when he's finished.”

“Oh.” Jinwoo felt his heart flutter, not unfamiliar to so many years ago. “What's the name of the painter?”

The girl scanned the wall shortly before finally pointing at a plaque nearby. “Here! Kim Myungjun!”

Jinwoo's mind raced back to his teenage years, of space and planets, of astronomy camp and a young boy with a grin as bright as the sun. His mind lingered on the melodic laughter, on the stupid idea of a duck wedding, on his first kiss that took place under a night sky, on gentle touches hidden away underneath the covers, on the salty taste of Myungjun's tears that still lingered on Jinwoo's lips despite the passing of time.

 _Kim Myungjun_.

The name was so foreign now, and while the feelings persisted, the face had become a distant memory. Jinwoo wondered how much Myungjun had grown. Jinwoo wondered if Myungjun thought of him often as he drew ducks and bread cakes and telescopes.

“It's called, _The Stars Come Out to Smile_ ,” the volunteer continued. “I've never seen anyone draw stars the way Kim Myungjun does, have you? His painting is breathtaking.”

Minhyuk was tugging on Jinwoo's hand. “ _Dad_ , the group is leaving.”

Jinwoo longed to stay behind and stare at every detail the painting had to offer, but he had his own life to attend to. He couldn't wallow about in his teenage years, he couldn't wallow about in the one week he spent in the company of the sun.

“I'm coming.”

Jinwoo turned away from the painting and ruffled Minhyuk's hair. “Did you like that painting, Minhyuk?”

“It's boring, just like all of them.”

“Right. Sorry, I forgot that you're allergic to artwork.”

Minhyuk giggled, and when they fell into line with the rest of the group, Jinwoo glanced out one of the windows.

It was bright outside, and he hoped that the stars were getting plenty of sleep. And he hoped that when they woke up, they would smile brighter than ever, displaying their pride of Kim Myungjun for the rest of the world to see.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> HAA that ending 
> 
> tbh i had no idea where this story was going until work today, when i was supposed to be working and instead spent half the day staring out the window. send dollar bills to [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) because someone needs to pay me.


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